GB 2 215 143 A discloses a device for removing an insulation of a cable, here a wire stripper adapted for being used for cables with a variety of diameters. The wire stripper comprises a pocket-like portion with a finger-hole extending through the body portion building a seat for the cable. A second body portion comprises a cutting element. The cutting element is introduced into the pocket built by the first body portion. The movement of the cutting element inside the pocket is supported by a spring element which is built by an elastic strap surrounding both body portions. With the cutting element completely moved inside the pocket built by the first body portion the cutting element completely closes the hole building the seat for the cable. Similar to a guillotine it is possible to completely cut the cable. Another hole building a second seat for a cable is provided adjacent to the first seat. A stop element for the movement of the cutting element limits the maximum of the movement of the cutting element such that the cutting element only partially covers the second seat. The free space in the second seat is dimensioned such that the cutting element carves the outer layer of a cable positioned within the second seat. For carving the entire circumference of the cable the wire stripper is rotated in circumferential direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cable. For completed carving of the insulation of the cable the cutting element is manually removed from the second seat with an increase of the bias of the spring element. The cable is removed from the seat and the carved layer is removed from the remaining part of the cable. Due to friction between the cable and supporting surfaces of the seat and between the cable and the cutting element during the carving process and the rotation of the wire stripper the cable moves within the seat. Due to the fact that the cutting blade of the cutting element is sloped with respect to the translational degree of freedom of the cutting element different directions of the rotation of the wire stripper with respect to the cable might result in different depths of the penetration of the cutting blade into the cable.
DE 195 43 390 C1 shows a wire stripper similar to the embodiment disclosed in GB 2 215 143 A wherein according to DE 195 43 390 C1 the two body portions are not moved with a translational degree of freedom but a rotational degree of freedom.
GB 2 173 958 A discloses a wire stripper wherein the cutting element is pivoted around a pivoting axis. A cable is held by a seat built by a bore with an orientation parallel to the pivoting axis. By a spring element the cutting element is pressed versus the outer sheet of the cable. Due to the bias of the cutting element by the spring element the cutting element penetrates into an insulating layer of the cable. The depth of penetration of the cutting element into the outer layer of the cable is limited by a stop element. The stop element is built with a cam. Manual rotation of the cam between three defined positions provides three different cutting depths of the cutting element. For carving or cutting the entire circumference of the cable the wire stripper is rotated around the longitudinal axis of the cable.
For the device for stripping cables known from DE 698 31 996 T2, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,606 A, the depth of cutting is adjusted by an adjusting unit. The adjusting unit comprises a stop element adjusting the effective region of the cutting blade. The cutting force depends on the energy stored in a spring pressing the cutting blade of the cutting element against the cable. The depth of penetration of the cutting blade into the cable depends on the length or angle of rotation of the rotational movement of the cutting element.
DE-OS 19 41 188 discloses pliers having two parts for stripping or removing the insulation of a coaxial cable. The two parts each comprise half-cylindrical recesses. The two half-cylindrical recesses combine to a cylindrical seat for the coaxial cable for closed parts of the pliers. Three cutting blades disposed one behind the other in axial direction of the seat are held in slots. The slots have an orientation transverse to the longitudinal direction of the seat. The three cutting blades extend with different cutting depths into the seat. The cutting edges might be straight, half-circular, V-shaped. A stop element limits the relative position of the front end of a coaxial cable positioned in the seat relative to the cutting blades. The pliers are intended for separately stripping three layers of a coaxial cable with one single step.
DE 91 04 414 U1 discloses multifunctional pliers wherein the pliers in one function are used for stripping a shielded coaxial cable. Handles of the pliers are fixedly connected with two halves of a cutting head of the pliers. The two parts of the pliers each built with a handle and a half of a cutting head are linked with each other for a pivoting movement around a pivoting axis. The two halves of the cutting head each comprise two parallel half-cylindrical recesses that combine for closed handles and closed head to two cylindrical seats for a cable. Cutting elements extend within the half-cylindrical recesses in a plane directed transverse to the longitudinal axis of the recess. The blade of the cutting element is half-circular having an inner diameter smaller than that of the recesses. With the closure of the head of the pliers the cutting blades combine to a approximately circular blade. Via a closing movement of the pliers a circumferential cut or carving is provided in the coaxial cable. For stripping different layers of one coaxial cable a plurality of cutting elements for different cutting depths is used. A diameter of a first cutting element correlates with the copper core of a coaxial cable. The diameter of a second cutting element correlates with the outer diameter of the insulating layer covering the copper core. The diameter of a third cutting element is chosen such that an electrical shielding of the cable is uncovered but not damaged. Additionally each half of the head of the pliers is equipped with a jaw for crimping a plug with the cable.
DE 69 22 349 U discloses a device for stripping coaxial cables. The device comprises a rotatable holding device having a cutting element which is movable in radial direction. For carving the entire circumference of the coaxial cable it is necessary to rotate the holding device and the cable held by the holding device.
EP 0 140 397 B1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,533 A, discloses a device only used for stripping a coaxial cable. A holding device clamps the coaxial cable. A unit built with a carrier for the cutting blade and a guiding member are rotated by means of a crank arm in circumferential direction for carving the coaxial cable in circumferential direction.